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The Americas
  • Greg Clayton
  • Daniel Tarpey

The Americas

A 149-day adventure by Greg & Daniel Read more
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  • The Americas

    El Ateneo Grand Splendid

    May 28, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    The final stop on our tourist trail was to visit El Ateneo Grand Splendid. This former theatre has been turned into a huge bookstore whilst retaining its original theatre decor. Said to be the most beautiful bookshop in the world I can certainly see why. I was actually surprised at how many people were in there looking at books, and not just being tourists like us.Read more

  • The Americas

    Racing Club v Sportivo Luqueno

    May 28, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    After one day off, tonight live the football was back! This time to watch Racing Club, another of the big 5, play Sportivo Luqueno from Paraguay in the Copa Sudamerica (the equivalent of the South American Europa League).

    However, the match was not played at Racing Club's stadium, but two stops further on the train at Lanus' stadium. This was due to Racing's 50,000 seater stadium failing a pitch inspection, despite there having been no bad weather for an age. One thing we have noticed is that the standard of the pitches in most of these huge Premier Division stadiums have been terrible.

    So, we hopped in an Uber for 45 minutes to get to Lanus' ground, this time for a 9:30pm (!!!) kick off, on a school night. When purchasing our tickets we either had the choices of the 'popular' section or the away end. We therfore opted for the popular which was full of the most passionate supporters, including a man with no legs who spent the game climbing the perimeter fence. In fairness to him it was the only way for him to actually see the pitch.

    The atmosphere was probably the best we'd experienced as Racing cruised to an easy 3-0 victory. Not much else to say about the game itself!

    During the match we spotted a familiar face who by sheer coincidence came and stood next to us. It was a Czech / American / Canadian guy who was on our Bocs tour. He was probably a bit scared when a hooded Dan prodded him in the shoulder but he recognised us in the end!

    We then all shared an Uber back into town after the match, which got us back to our apartment at half past midnight. A late night but definitely worthwhile!    Read more

  • The Americas
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    Ecoparque

    May 29, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    After getting in from the football at half past midnight we weren't ready to go straight to sleep so watched an episode of Clarkson's Farm with some chocolate until about 2am. We therefore had a slow morning and also caught up with my friend Georgia who is joining us on 7th June!

    After a late breakfast we headed out to Buenos Aires Ecoparque just down the road from us. We expected it to just be a nice park but no, it was much more than that.....    Read more

  • The Americas

    Ecoparque - Animals!

    May 29, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    It turned out that the park was a public park stroke zoo. They had giraffes, elephants and what we even suspected to be a couple of Pablo Escobar's cocaine hippos! This was a very pleasant surprise to find on our casual stroll.Read more

  • The Americas

    Estudiantes v Huachipato

    May 29, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We didn't have time for much touristing today as once again the football took centre stage!

    This time we were headed to Estudiantes v Huachipato in the Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the Champions League. Estudiantes won the first half of the Argentinian season and are also not based in Buenos Aires but 50km away in La Plata. This meant we had to catch the metro and then an hour coach to get to the ground.

    The ground is probably the most modern and best kept we've seen in our time away, but this didn't stop the family stand from trembling and shaking under the pressure of the crowd!

    The two sides went into the game 2nd and 3rd in their group of 4, with the away side being just a point ahead with 2 games to go! It was therefore a huge 6 pointer for the competition.

    Estudiantes (4 times previous winners of the competition) went 1-0 up after 12 minutes and looked comfortable for a while. We expected the game to be a procession victory, just like Racing Club the day before.

    We were wrong.

    In the 10 minutes before halftime the Chilean away side scored twice, to go in ahead at half time, the second goal coming from a home defender turning a cross into his own net.

    Within 5 minutes of the start of the second half Estudiantes were level, but conceded again before the home fans had sat down from celebrating the equaliser.

    Just after the hour mark Estudiantes equalised once again wahey and kept pushing and pushing for a winner foe the final half an hour.

    The away side had well and truly shut up shop and showed no interest in scoring a winner or even playing football. Their players took it in turns (often 2 or 3 at a time) to sit on the floor and/or roll around at any given opportunity, even when they'd committed a foul themselves or were nowhere near anyone at all. Dan even said he'd 'never seen anything like it'.

    We were anticipating double digits added time, but no, 5 minutes on the board was a kick in the teeth to all involved with Estudiantes. Estudiantes kept pushing but a knockout blow was dealt when Huachipato counter attacked in the 95th minute, and converted a 1-on-1 chance to make it 4-3 and take all 3 points back to Chile.

    It was huge scenes for the travelling fans whilst Estudiantes were knocked out of the competition.

    On the way out of the ground Dan was approached by one of the national broadcasters for an interview, but he smartly declined as we couldn't even understand what the interviewer was saying.

    Another great game and atmosphere!    Read more

  • The Americas

    Arriving Back in Buenos Aires

    May 29, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    After a bit of hassle in La Plata trying to find the coach stop we eventually boarded the bus back to Buenos Aires! We stumbled upon this lovely square and took the metro back to our apartment. We ordered a pizza to enjoy in bed whilst watching Clarkson's Farm to unwind from another game to remember.Read more

  • The Americas

    Natural History Museum

    May 30, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    After yet another late night from the football we had a lie in this morning. We then headed out to get our haircut which went quite well! We then took the bus to the Natural History Museum (Dan's favourite type of museum apparently) which was filled with fake animals including many dinosaur replicas! It also had the skin of a Yacare cayman which we'd caught in Yacare lake in the Amazon a few weeks earlier!

    After this we took a stroll around the neighbouring park which had a lovely quiet atmosphere of lots of locals enjoying their Thursday evening.

    As it grew dark we stopped off at the supermarket we bought some ingredients for dinner, carried home in a River Plate bag ahead of this weekends game!

    We had dinner, watched Wayne Rooney's recent interview with Gary Neville and made a start on season 2 of Clarkson's Farm. Nice to have a chilled day ahead of being proper tourists again tomorrow!    Read more

  • The Americas

    Avenue de Mayo

    May 31, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    The walking tour took us back along Avenue de Mayo and across Avenue 9 de Julio (the world's widest road). Along the way we stopped at a building inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy, the Obelisk, a building with Eva Peron's face on the side and Cafe Tortoni, one of the most popular Tango cafes in the city!

    As we were walking along the avenue, we bumped into our friend Fin from the San Blas heading in the opposite direction. A pretty remarkable coincidence for a city centre with 3 million inhabitants!    Read more

  • The Americas

    Back to Plaza de Mayo

    May 31, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    The tour finished back at Plaza de Mayo as the sunset. It was really interesting to hear about the political and economical history of the city from a local including his opinions on current affairs and the story of how Argentina has ended up in such a complex situation.Read more

  • The Americas

    Puerto Madero

    May 31, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    After the conclusion of the walking tour we went for a stroll through Puerto Madero. This waterfront area was a super modern mix which seemed to take inspiration from the Albert Dock, Dubai and Dublin all at once!

    We also passed by a huge sculpture saying 'Malvinas nos une' which means 'Falklands unites us'. Every bus in the city has a sticker on the side saying 'Falklands are Argentinas' with a picture of the islands. Despite this obvious hostility everyone has been really nice to us even when we've said we are English!    Read more

  • The Americas

    Night out in Buenos Aires

    May 31, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    As it fell dark we headed to a local restaurant we'd been recommended. We were the only people in there, presumably as it was only 6:30pm and all of the locals eat really late.

    Dan ordered a beer bottle so big that it came with an ice bucket and I had my first famed steak of the trip. Despite being cooked pretty thoroughly it was so nice and easy to eat!

    We then went to play some pool. I managed to win both sets taking our overall aggregate score to 10-6 to Dan.

    We then met up with Fin from the San Blas and his friends at their hostel for more pool and karaoke. We didn't end up getting in until about 3am (I think) but it was a good night!    Read more

  • The Americas

    Champions League Final - 7 Months

    June 1, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    After a late night late night it was a sleep in, up and out for the Champions League Final. Today also marks 7 months since I left home to travel! We'd been recommended a sports bar not too far from us so we decided to check it out.

    When we arrived it was completely full, with people teeming into the road outside, watching the match on the screens for the outdoor tables. Eventually the police came along and closed the road so that everyone could watch the game.

    A 2-0 victory for the inevitable Real Madrid was enjoyed by the Spanish speaking locals, and by Dan who won £350 on a £5 bet.

    After the match we headed back to our apartment for some dinner.    Read more

  • The Americas

    Evening in Buenos Aires

    June 1, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    We'd had a fairly big night last night so we took it relatively easy tonight with a few games of pool. I won 3-2 in games to secure the set and take our overall score to 10-7 to Dan, I'm catching up! After pool we headed back home and watch some more Clarkson's Farm!Read more

  • The Americas

    Sunday in Buenos Aires

    June 2, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    After yet another late night we had yet another lie in. But we had no touristing on the agenda so this was all good! First of all we went and got our SIM cards fixed which had miraculously stopped working and then went to play some pool. After queueing for a table last night, today we were the only people in there playing. My storming form came to an end as Dan won all 3 sets, extending his lead back out to 13-7.

    We then took the metro back to our apartment and picked up some ingredients for dinner along the way ahead of a big night!    Read more

  • The Americas

    Estadio Mâs Monumental

    June 2, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    The 2nd of June has been a date etched into our schedule for a long time! Back in Antigua in March we were told we'd been invited to go and watch River Plate in one of the hospitality boxes. This is thanks to our friend Danny going out with the daughter of the former vice president.

    We met Omar (the former VP), Caro (another daughter) and one of her friends at their apartment at 6:30pm as they gave us a lift on the short journey to the ground. Thankfully Caro and her friend spoke good English so we were able to communicate well.

    The stadium is currently finishing renovations and now holds 85,000 people thanks to the removal of the running track. We made our way to box number 15 which had 8 seats for Omar's guests and the guests of a friend with whom he shares the box.

    River Plate have won 4 Copa Libertadores in their history along with 19 league titles, and they're doing well in both competitions this season as they hope to extend their trophy haul. Unfortunately they were relegated for one season back in 2011, during when Omar was actually vice president.

    Caro tells us that lots of Omar's colleagues were corrupt and upon relegation the River Plate fans set fire to their own stadium and made death threats to many of the club staff. Omar and his family had to have a police officer stationed outside of their apartment for over a month after the match. Thankfully they're now able to go to the game as normal!

    Their box was almost on the edge of one of the penalty areas with a good view of the pitch. Me and Dan were offered the front row as guests!    Read more

  • The Americas

    River Plate v Tigre

    June 2, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    The match got off to a great start for River Plate as they converted the first penalty of the game after just 13 minutes. After this point, Tigre kept pushing and hit the post, missed a few sitters and eventually won and converted a penalty on the stroke of half time.

    At this point there was a half time competition on the pitch in which supporters had to score from the half way line. The first guy up scored and celebrated by doing a Cristiano Ronaldo suuuuu celebration which it's fair to say was not received well by the 85,000 Messi loving Argentian fans in the stadium.

    In the second half River really took control, scoring in the 53rd minute to go ahead and then converting another penalty just before the hour mark. A hat trick for star man Miguel Borja! They had opportunities to add more but were unable to. We did however get to see a 30 minute cameo from 16 year old Franco Mastantuono who is said to be River's next big academy graduate with Real Madrid already after his services.

    A comfortable 3-1 victory sent everyone home happy. We had a great time thanks to the hospitality from our wonderful hosts!    Read more

  • The Americas

    La Boca - Caminito

    June 3, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    This morning we were up early (8:30am, a painful alarm) as we had booked onto the walking tour in the colourful suburb of La Boca.

    We joined the tour to find our guide was the same guy as the other day, Nahuel aka Jenny.

    The suburb of La Boca was and is home to thousands of Italian, Spanish and other European immigrants who settled in Boca when the country opened its doors to the masses many years ago.

    The main street is called Caminito, a former railway line which has a statue of Messi lifting the World Cup at the balcony of the corner cafe.    Read more

  • The Americas

    Vuelta de Rocha - La Boca

    June 3, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Our first stop on the tour was at the port. For many years this was the main port of Buenos Aires and where Pedro de Mendoza arrived, the man who founded the settlement of BA in 1542. Thousands of immigrants also arrived and settled here. The port and surrounding area used to be thriving, however with time the port business moved to larger ports nearer the coast. La Boca became more deprived as a result. To upkeep their houses, the locals would borrow whatever leftover paint the shipyards had, which resulted in the neighbourhood becoming an array of different coloured buildings. Today it is still pretty poor but the colours are maintained for touristic purposes.Read more

  • The Americas

    Around La Bombonera

    June 3, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Whilst the stadium is great to look at, so is the surrounding area, with blue, yellow and Maradona everywhere you look!

  • The Americas

    La Bombonera

    June 3, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    A tour of La Boca wouldn't be complete without a trip to La Bombonera, home of Boca Juniors. We'd been lucky enough to watch a game here last weekend but it was great to return in the daytime.

    The club gets its blue and yellow colours as when deciding the colours of the club in the early days, they said it would be the colours of the flag of the next ship into the port. That ship was from Sweden so blue and yellow it was! We cannot find a Boca Juniors home shirt for sale anywhere in the city as they are so popular!

    I couldn't take enough pictures of this stadium as it looks stunning from every angle!    Read more

  • The Americas

    Estadio Pedro Bidegain - San Lorenzo

    June 3, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    This evening was our final match in Buenos Aires and our final of the big 5 to complete. This time we headed to San Lorenzo v Sarmiento. We met up with Nico, a friend of Maty, a BA born traveller I met in Fiji.

    We met on a high street cross roads and wandered down towards the ground. We speak little Spanish and Nico speaks little English but we managed to hold a conversation of some sort all the way to the ground, mainly about football of course.

    San Lorenzo were all over Sarmiento as the away side could barely leave their half, but come halftime the deadlock couldn't be broken.

    This torrent from San Lorenzo continued in the second half but with 20 minutes to go the away side put themselves ahead totally against the run of play. Despite all of their possession, San Lorenzo couldn't hit a barn door with their shots and were punished with the game finishing 1-0. Probably an unfortunate game to end our time in BA as it was freezing too but you can't have it all!

    On the way out Dan bought a hat, partly because it was freezing, and partly to commemorate a visit to the team of Pope Francis.    Read more

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